Best LEGO Sets For Adults

The Absolute Best LEGO Sets for Adult Builders of All Stripes

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Much like video games, Star Wars toys, and soccer leagues, LEGO sets are no longer just for kids. In fact, the AFOL (Adult Fan Of LEGO) community is flourishing at an astonishing rate, spawning its own blogs, YouTube channels, and social media accounts.

While longtime fans of the tiny colored bricks are well aware of the toy line's popularity among more mature builders, there's still plenty of adults claiming to buy them “for their kids.” With over 300 new sets hitting stores every year (including many models specifically aimed at adult fans), it's the perfect time to bring your block-y hobby out of the basement and into the LEGO-loving limelight.

Of course, before you become an MOC (My Own Creation) master — another huge LEGO community — or start a Patreon to fund your brick-building addiction, you'll want to find the right sets for you and your family. Whether shopping the toy aisles of your local retailer or navigating the seemingly millions of online storefronts, finding the bricks that best fit your interests, budget and schedule can be as painful as stepping on a LEGO while barefoot.

With that in mind, we've scoured the stores, stayed up past the wee hours searching the internet, and even raided our kids' toy boxes to compile a comprehensive list of the best LEGO sets for adult fans of all stripes.

Best LEGO Sets

LEGO The Disney Castle

Best For: Those Wanting To Make Memories Without Breaking The Bank On A Disney Vacation

You needn't be a Disney nerd to appreciate this gorgeous amalgamation of tiny, colored bricks. Packed with detail — and over 4000 bricks! — the iconic castle, inspired by Cinderella's digs at Walt Disney World, is more architectural wonder than plastic toy. That said, you can let the little ones play with the included Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Donald, and Tink minifigures, while you tackle the finer points of constructing this magical masterpiece. Pixie dust not included.

LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Great Hall

Best For: Those Looking For A Fun Build Brimming With Fan-Service

More manageable than the massive Hogwarts Castle set (below), this 878-piece recreation of one of the Wizarding universe's most iconic set pieces strikes the perfect balance between being an accessible, fun build that's also stuffed with fan-pleasing touches. Featuring fantastic details, such as the Grand Staircase tower, Mirror of Erised, and, of course, the Sorting Hat, as well as minifigs of Harry— and his best friends, foes, and creatures – the Great Hall is equal parts cool collectible, rewarding build, and immersive play-set.

LEGO Classic Bricks Bricks Bricks

Best For: Newcomers Looking To Break Into The Toy Brick-Building Business

This one's just a big 'ole box of vibrantly-colored bricks, and that's exactly why we love it. Sporting 1500 pieces, three levels of building complexity, and no pressure to build something specific – though you're welcome to if you like – this throwback set is perfect for casual fans looking to break into the brick-building hobby. Those looking to further ignite their creative spark can also hop online for some more specific, inspired ideas that are easy to build.

LEGO BrickHeadz

Best For: Action Figure Fans Craving A Bit More Interaction With Their Collectibles

We love Funko POP! Figures, but we can't help but think these fan-pleasing collectibles could provide a bit more entertainment beyond breaking them from their boxes, displaying them on our desks, and staring at them. Enter LEGO BrickHeadz, the collectible figures you actually build. Featuring favorite pop culture characters from The Simpsons, Jurassic World, Ghostbusters, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and more, these sets contain 100 or so bricks, lots of property-specific details, and plenty of personality.

LEGO Ideas Ship In A Bottle

Best For: Builders Looking To Display More Than Play

If cramming a ship into a bottle doesn't sound challenging enough for you, this awesome set invites you to also build the craft before squeezing it into the narrow-necked vessel. Packed with tons of cool details, like a build-able cork, and nautical charm, LEGO's latest Ideas entry – spawned from the creative mind of LEGO fan Jake Sadovich – is as fun to display as it is to build. Of course, you'll need to resist the urge to break the boat from its bottle and play pirate with its captain’s quarters, cannons, masts, and crow’s nest.

LEGO Batman App-Controlled Batmobile

Best For: Batman Fans With A Need For Speed

If your love of LEGO is matched only by your affection for Batman, you've likely already built the Dark Knight's iconic vehicle in a previous set. This latest version ups the ante though, allowing you to remotely control the finished product with an app installed on a smartphone or tablet. Whether you're looking to clean up Gotham's crime-filled streets or just chase your cat around the living room, this one's worth adding to your Batcave.

LEGO Creator Expert Winter Village Fire Station

Best For:LEGO Fans With A Soft Spot For The Holidays

Doubling as a holiday decoration that'd make Norman Rockwell proud and an engaging build project, the quaint Winter Village Fire Station packs in a ton of immersive details and heartwarming charm. If its Dalmatian and brick-built snowman don't put a smile on your face, the adorable baby minifig – sporting an equally cute moose sweater – should do the trick. Collectors will also appreciate that this one connects with the previous Winter Village Station and Winter Holiday Train. A perfect set for seasoned builders and newcomers alike, it will test your construction skills while also getting you in the spirit of the season.

Best LEGO Sets By Theme

LEGO Star Wars Sandcrawler

While there's plenty of fan-servicing LEGO sets from a galaxy far, far away celebrating the sci-fi saga's most recent movies, we love the authentic look of this classic vehicle from the film that started it all. More than just a cool, collectible call back to Star Wars: A New Hope though, this one's working parts and accessories – from a detailed interior and droid-loading crane to Luke Skywalker and Jawa minifigures – make it a great play-set for Force-sensitive fans of all stripes.

LEGO Jurassic World Indoraptor Rampage at Lockwood Estate

This Jurassic World set includes everything you need to recreate the film franchise's most epic dino-battling scenes, but you'll want to take in all its intricate details before unleashing your plastic, prehistoric pets. The set's 3-level building includes a museum, lab, office, and bedroom, as well as six minifigures, two dinosaur figs – complete with snapping jaws – and raptor-wrangling Owen's motorcycle. Of course, once you're literally ready to tear down the house, its configurable walls, collapsing roof, and removable windows will help keep the dino damage at a minimum.

LEGO MARVEL Super Heroes Sanctum Sanctorum Showdown

Most LEGO MARVEL sets celebrate the fan-favorite Avengers, so this Dr. Strange-focused entry offers a refreshing take on the spandex-clad cinematic universe. Don't let The Hulk's absence fool you though, as this set's more about action-packed play than mystical hocus-pocus. In fact, Doctor Strange's iconic digs – and accompanying Peter Parker apartment – are equipped with exploding walls and windows functionality, while a rooftop launcher sends the set's four minifigures – Doctor Strange, Iron Man, Iron Spider-Man, Ebony Maw – flying into action. If all that wasn't enough to ensure this one stays off your bookshelf, it also includes a hammer-wielding Cull Obsidian big fig.

LEGO Creator Expert James Bond Aston Martin DB5

James Bond doesn't return to the big screen until next year, but 007's biggest fans can get their secret agent fix with this incredibly cool take on the super-spy's signature ride. Automobile enthusiasts will appreciate the authentic details spawned from this set's 1295 pieces, but it's the hidden touches – from its ejector seat and wheel-mounted tire scythes to the revolving license plates and front wing machine guns – that will have Bond aficionados humming the series' familiar theme as they build.

LEGO Ideas Voltron

Whether you're a nostalgic fan of '80s cartoons or just love giant robots, this Voltron set's got your back. At over 2000 pieces, it's the biggest build-able LEGO mech to date. On top of making a menacing display piece, however, this throwback's also built to play, featuring extra-durable joints, and highly pose-able black, blue, yellow, red, and green lions that combine to create the Voltron super-robot. All that, and it can grip a massive sword and shield.

LEGO Minecraft The Bedrock Adventures

Minecraft's passionate community is as dedicated as LEGO's faithful following, so it makes sense the two have collided with a number of cool sets. Our recent favorite, The Bedrock Adventures, caters to those who love both the series' construction and combat elements. Fans of the former activity can venture into caves and mines for obsidian and seven ore types, while those in the latter camp will enjoy battling the franchise's most iconic foes, from zombies and cave spiders to silverfish and, of course, Creepers. Coolest of all, The Bedrock Adventures can be combined with previous sets to create a sprawling Minecraft universe of your own making.

Largest LEGO Sets

LEGO Creator Expert Roller Coaster

At a whopping 4124 bricks, this LEGO take on the amusement park staple clocks in as one of the year's biggest sets. Complete with a cotton candy cart, ticket booth, covered boarding station, and concession stand, this one will easily stretch across the top of a bookshelf or mantle. Its large scale is matched by its functionality though, as it features a chain-lift and a pair of gravity-powered ride trains. There are even minifig thrill-seekers and working lap bars to keep them safe. Perfect for seasoned builders who like to play with their creations, the LEGO Roller Coaster is both a challenging build and a charming collectible.

LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron

3599 pieces may not sound like much when compared to the 7500-plus that click together to make the Millennium Falcon (LEGO's largest set to date, below), but it's a more than admirable brick count when you consider the final product. Far smaller in physical size than its “big” counterparts, the Bugatti Chiron packs all those pieces into a painstaking recreation of the super sports car. Finely detailed right down to the brake discs, the finished model includes moving pistons, an accessible cockpit – complete with working gearshift and steering wheel – and dozens of other nuanced touches both the auto enthusiast and advanced LEGO builder will appreciate.

LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle

LEGO's second largest set is also one of it's most fan-pleasing – at least for Harry Potter's passionate following. At over 6000 pieces, this massive recreation of the boy wizard's magic-teaching alma mater is packed with classrooms, chambers, towers, and turrets. Beyond the castle walls, fans will also find Hagrid's hut and the Whomping Willow. Toss in over two dozen figs of favorite characters and creatures – including five brick-based Dementors – and this set brings the Potterverse to life like no novel or film. Even if you're not a Potterhead, however, this detail-dripping set also serves as both a stunning piece of LEGO architecture and a worthy challenge for seasoned builders looking to take their hobby to the next level.

LEGO Ninjago City

Featuring 4867 pieces and some of the most detailed designs ever seen in a LEGO set, the Ninjago City is not messing around. In fact, while the kid-friendly property is generally geared toward the younger crowd, this complex amalgamation of colorful bricks is recommended for builders 16 and over.

Clocking in at over 24”, high, 12”, wide, and 16” deep, this mini ninja metropolis is brimming with accessories, minifigures, and interactive elements, including a miniature ATM that actually spits out the teeniest, tiniest bank notes you've ever seen.

While a complicated build not to be tackled by any Ninjago-loving tyke, this highly impressive piece of LEGO architecture is great for adult fans seeking a challenge, as well as folks looking for a perfect parent-and-child project.

LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series Millennium Falcon

The LEGO Star Wars line is certainly no stranger to large, brick-brimming sets. Over the years, there's been Star Destroyers and Jawa Sandcrawlers besting the 3000-plus club, while the most recent brick-built version of the Death Star notched 4016 pieces. Back in 2007, a version of the Millennium Falcon even made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs and over 5000 bricks.

These numbers are smaller than a Womp rat, however, compared to the recently revealed LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series Millennium Falcon. Billed as the largest, most detailed version of the fastest ship in the galaxy ever created, the replica Corellian freighter measures over 8”, high, 33” long, and 22” wide. And, at an astounding 7541 bricks, it's also the biggest LEGO set ever!

Absolutely swimming in fan-servicing details, the iconic craft includes awesome exterior features — such as a concealed blaster cannon and working boarding ramp — as well as all kinds of rad interior elements, like a gunnery station, Dejarik chess game, and hidden floor compartment. Coolest of all though, this epic set aims to please both original trilogy purists and new film fans by including crew member minifigs from both eras. Old school enthusiasts can rock the galaxy as Han, Leia, C-3PO, and Chewbacca, while more recent adopters of the Force can take to the stars as gray-haired Han, Rey, Finn, and BB-8.

And for those jaded jackasses about to complain about the era-specific radar dishes, well, those can be swapped out too —round for the original films, rectangular for the new movies! Whether you're a forty-something Star Wars fan craving a nostalgia fix, a Rey-respecting new recruit looking to smack Kylo Ren's stupid face, or even a sad moisture farmer pining for a more exciting life, this awesome set's bound to stretch a smile across your face.

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